Pretty much every goal can be traced to a defensive mistake – or two or three of them. The goals that are solely the province of individual offensive brilliance are few and far between, although there is certainly an element of skill attached to almost every goal.

The point is, defensive blunder (at worst) or inattention happens all the time. It’s just that mistakes get so painfully magnified at this time of year. Just ask New England.

The margin of error was already razor thin for Jay Heaps’ Revolution, which had ground to make up and a tough schedule to deal with. (Three of the Revs’ final four matches are on the road – hardly a recipe for MLS success.)

The Revolution was already facing long odds tonight at Red Bull Arena – and they grew longer when Steven Caldwell was careless with a pass deep in his own end after just 14 minutes. Watch as Fabian Espindola pounces and then finishes clinically for New York, which took the early 1-0 lead.